[Shop-talk] Ceiling Paint

[Jim Stone]

That is a nice set up for my ceiling paint update.  First the good news.

As recommended here, I stayed away from the color changing paint and bought a couple of gallons of Benjamin Moore ceiling paint (https://aboffs.com/collections/benjamin-moore-minus-aura/products/waterborne-ceiling-paint) after doing some online research.  I used a strong work light and had no trouble seeing what was already painted, so the color changing feature would have been totally unnecessary.  It might have been different if I was painting a previously painted ceiling, but I doubt it.  The paint covered in one coat - new drywall with two coats of PVA primer.  As an experiment, I tried getting away with just one coat in one room and it seemed to be fine.  Still, adding a second coat of primer is pretty easy and I’ll probably stay with that in the rest of the addition for peace of mind.

Before going any further, I should mention that one group member sent me a note that wasn’t copied to everyone recommending Sherwin-Williams CHB paint for the ceiling, but I got the email after I’d bought the Benjamin Moore.  FWIW, I just quickly researched CHB paint and others recommend it, too.  This review was pretty interesting: https://dengarden.com/home-improvement/Sherwin-Williams-CHB-Paint-Review

So, on to the bad news and a new question.  We originally bought three gallons of the paint and my wife picked them up at the paint store.  Two of the gallons fell out of the truck and opened up when she got home.  Our driveway is currently just dirt, so no harm there, other then the loss of 1 1/2 gallons of expensive paint.  (I was able to save about half a gallon between the two cans.)  So, there goes about $75 of my savings from doing the patting myself.  I mixed the remaining gallon and a half together in a five gallon bucket, following standard practice to account for any color inconsistencies. At least, that was what I thought I was doing.  Unfortunately, I accidentally grabbed a fresh gallon of PVA primer instead of the ceiling paint.  So, there goes more of my savings.

How much more money was wasted depends on the answer to my question, which is: can I use the primer mixed with the ceiling paint?  Neither are low VOC paints but the primer is Valspar PVA and, as noted, the ceiling paint is Benjamin Moore.  Still, ceiling paint is dead flat and it seems to me that I now just have some primer with extra pigment in it.  Does that make sense?  I have more PVA and could easily further dilute the ceiling paint, but I’d hate to ruin the remaining primer, if that is a problem.

Any thoughts?

Jim

> On May 31, 2023, at 5:37 AM, Donald H Locker <dhlocker at protonmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Thank you so much for the tips. My wife and I have some significant painting tasks ahead in the next year or so and these notes will help a lot.
> 
> I'm not too bad at painting using the older-school products. I only run into problems with planning, prep, application, and cleanup. ;-)
> 
> Donald.
> 
> On 2023-05-30 19:32, Jim Stone wrote:
>> "Another thing: if you haven't painted with zero/low voc paints, they dry fast.”
>> 
>> Boy, you aren’t kidding! I actually got this email while I was in the middle of painting my first set of walls.  (More on the ceilings in a subsequent email.)  This was my first experience with Low VOC paint.  I had seen references to low or no VOC paints but not paid much attention to the difference.  Based on several online reviews, I used Sherwin-Williams HGTV Infinity paint.  https://www.lowes.com/pd/HGTV-HOME-by-Sherwin-Williams-HGTV-HOME-by-Sherwin-Williams-Infinity-Interior-Satin-Ultra-White/5005508285. Reviews of the paint mentioned its low VOC content as one of its benefits, but tended to recommend it based on other factors.  In the end, I am happy with the way it went on and we did get good one coat coverage (on new drywall with two coats of PVA primer) but man, does that stuff dry fast!  Fortunately, my wife and I were working together on the walls; she was cutting in the edges and I was rolling the primer behind her.  We were able to keep a wet edge by working together, but it would have been next to impossible to do alone.
>> 
>> I would not have started with the low VOC paint had I known what I know now, as dry time will be an issue when I am painting the stairwell.  My plan was always to add Floetrol (https://www.flood.com/products/paint-additives/floetrol-latex-based-paint-additive) to the paint to slow down the drying there.  If need be, I will also feather the paint where I think it may dry too fast and hope to be able to blend it in without getting a line.  
>> 
>> Wish me luck.
>> 
>> Jim
>> 
>>> On May 30, 2023, at 3:46 PM, David Scheidt <dmscheidt at gmail.com> <mailto:dmscheidt at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Another thing: if you haven't painted with zero/low voc paints, they
>>> dry fast.  You probably learned "wet edge" techniques.  forget them.
>>> zero voc paint drys too fast.  Do your cutting in, and let it dry.
>>> Then do your field painting.  If you attempt to paint over a partially
>>> dried coat, you will pull it up, and make a mess.
>>> 
>>> Depending on how fast you are, and how big your job is, you may be
>>> able to start painting immediately after you finishing cutting in, but
>>> you will probably have to wait a bit.
>>> 
>>> -- 
>>> David Scheidt
>>> dmscheidt at gmail.com <mailto:dmscheidt at gmail.com>
>> 
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